I Don't Wanna Wait
by Adrian Jade
Summary: Adrian has spent the last 5 years of her life fighting for her country. Now she's back home with some serious emotional scarring. Will she ever let down her defenses and let someone in? Or will the demons of her past consume her?
1. Intro

Adrian Mercer closed her eyes and willed the fear to go away. Bombs were going off around her and in that paralyzing moment she had no idea if she was going to live or die. She had many of these moments now, being a marine was nothing like she had once expected it to be. Straight out of high school she enlisted because she was a young kid who thought she could make a difference. She realized now that she knew nothing about what she was getting into. Hell she was just a kid, there was no way she could have ever known what to expect. This place was hell, there was no other way to describe it. People were dying around her and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Things hadn't always been like this though, Adrian had a very loving family and a great life. She was intelligent enough to get into any collage she wanted but instead she chose to be a marine. She never once thought she would regret that decision but that is all she seemed to be doing as of late.

Adrian brought her knees higher so now she could easily rest her head. She closed her eyes again and wished everything around her would just stop. She didn't want to die in this stupid pointless war. She wanted to live, to get married and have children. Most of all she wanted to see her family again and tell them how much she loved them.

"God please if I make it home I swear I'll make it up to you" she whispered fingering the cross necklace she wore around her neck at all times.

She had never been a very religious person when she was younger but like they say you find your faith in a foxhole. All she wanted to do was make it home, and if she got there she would never leave ever again.

She steeled her nerves and picked up her M16. She carefully stood up and looked around. People of all different shapes and sizes were lying on the ground before her. Bile rose in her throat as she fought back the urge to vomit. A small child was a few feet away from her, she went over to him. His cloudy eyes looked at her and he almost smiled a little.

"I'm going to try and help you" she said to him but she knew he didn't understand her.

He whispered something to her that she didn't understand and reached out to touch her hand. She took his hand for a moment and then she began rummaging through her pack to find the first aid kit she carried around with her everywhere. She was a medic, which had to be the most dangerous jobs out there. The boy had suffered from a ricocheted bullet in his pelvic area.

"Don't die on me little guy" she was working as fast as she could.

"Thank you" the boy said.

She looked at him surprised that he knew a little English. The bleeding was really bad and she was afraid that she wouldn't be able to stop it. She continued to work at a furious pace, she only stopped when she heard the sound of multiple guns being cocked. She turned around to see a group of her own unit all training their guns on her.

"Guys come on you need to help me save this kid" she said.

"Move out of the way solider he's the enemy" someone said.

"No you are not killing me" she tried to shield the boy.

Before she knew it someone had restrained her. She was struggling to get free, she was kicking and screaming.

"HE'S JUST A BOY" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

She continued to scream until she felt someone shaking her. Her eyes snapped open and she was met with her very concerned eyes of her mother but she still continues to scream.

"HE'S JUST A BOY"

"... HE'S JUST A BOY"

Her mother was afraid. This wasn't the first subconscious flashback that had sent Adrian teetering over the edge. She had been having night terrors ever since she had returned home from Iraq, 3 months earlier. Adrian needed some serious help but she couldn't be the one to help her. Adrian had all but violently pummeled every mental professional she had seen and after a while Brooke, her mother, had stopped trying to get her help because before Adrian was able to open up and talk about her experience in the war she needed to feel safe, and it was obvious she felt anything but. Brooke was at her wits end she didn't know what to do anymore. She was the only parent Adrian had after her husband had passed away when Adrian was just a child. She knew it was a bad idea for her baby to join the military but as her daughter had so often pointed out before she was shipped out it was her life.

Brooke racked her brains and tried to think of something that she could do to help her daughter feel safe enough to come out of her shell. That's when she got an idea. Adrian had this one cousin who she was extremely close with ... if any one could help her through this he would be able to. Although it hurt her to have to call her nephew because she couldn't handle her own daughter if it worked she would be so extremely happy.

Adrian had finally calmed down by now. She realized that she was back in her room and not in some dessert in the middle east. Brooke had given her a tranquilizer and she relaxed almost instantly. She would remain in an almost comatose state for a few hours. Brooke left her daughter's bedside and grabbed the cordless phone from the hall before going back to her own bedroom. She looked at her alarm clock on her night stand and prayed that Paul would still be awake. If anyone in the world could make her daughter feel safe it would definitely be the 10 time World Heavyweight champion Triple H.


	2. She Can Stay

For some strange reason Paul couldn't get his younger cousin out of his head. He hadn't seen Adrian since she had returned home and his parents really couldn't supply any news. He tried calling his aunt's house a few times but no one ever picked up. But today he just couldn't seem to think about anything else but his cousin. He had this nagging feeling something was terribly wrong with her.

It was one of those rare days were Paul was at home spending time with his two favorite girls … who weren't currently home, isn't that a kick in the face. He was sitting in his office looking over some paperwork when the phone began to ring.

"Hello"

"Hey Paul honey, this is Aunt Brooke"

Paul switched ears. He became eager to hear how Adrian was doing now that she was home.

"It's good to hear from you Aunt Brooke, how's Addie?"

"Well you see Paul that's why I'm calling you … she's not doing to well"

"Is she sick or something?" Paul asked immediately concerned.

"Well physically she's fine … mentally she's a mess, she has what doctors like to call Post Traumatic Stress Disorder" Brooke explained.

"She's freaking out all the time and she never talks to anyone anymore and she has these horrible nightmares about being back in Iraq … I've tired to get her to see therapists but she refuses to talk about what happened over there, Paul I don't understand what's happened to my sweet little girl"

"She's going to be ok you have to believe that, Adrian has always been stubborn and set to her ways just give her some time to adjust" Paul suggested "she probably saw some horrible things while stationed over seas and maybe it scares her to talk about them"

"I think she needs to feel safe in order to let down this emotional wall she has put around herself and it seems like she doesn't feel safe with me anymore"

"If there is anything I can do to help just name it … an expensive new treatment just say the word and the money will be there"

"Well that's why I'm calling you" she started.

"How much money do you need?" Paul asked.

"No it's not money that I need … there is no easy way to say this I think Adrian should stay with you for a while" Brooke blurted out.

"Come again…"

"You and Adrian were so close when you both were younger and she has always held you as her closest confidant, she needs to feel safe Paul and you can help her with that"

"Brooke I'd love to help but I don't think it would be good to have Adrian around my daughter if she is so unbalanced" Paul reasoned.

"Adrian would never hurt Aurora and you are on the road most of the time why not take her with you I mean you and your wrestler buddies can keep her safe I know you can … this isn't easy for me Paul, I love my daughter very much and it kills me to know that there is nothing I can do to help her but maybe you can … maybe you can do what no one else has been able to do yet, you can get her to open up I know you can"

"Ok she can stay with me but if I even think she is a danger to Aurora I'm going to send her straight back to you progress or no progress"

"Thank you so much Paul all I want is for my daughter to be happy again"

Brooke then went on to explain what she knew about Adrian's mental state and how to calm her down. She also assured him that she would pack plenty of tranquilizers. Paul scoffed a little at this. How bad could she really be to need tranquilizers? After he got off the phone with Brooke he spent the rest of his time trying to think of a way to explain this to his wife.

"Paul we're home" he heard Stephanie yell from the foyer.

He left his office to greet her, he gave both Stephanie and Aurora a hug and a kiss. Stephanie picked up the baby and brought her to her bedroom. Paul followed his wife and leaned against the door frame watching as Stephanie put Aurora down for a nap.

"We have to talk" he finally said. Which earned him a curious gaze from his wife.

"Hell no! Paul you are not bringing her here" Stephanie violently protested.

"Stephanie, she's my cousin and she needs our help"

"She has a mother" Stephanie pointed out.

"Brooke says that Adrian needs to feel safe and what better place to make her feel safe then here with us, two people who love and care for her"

"You make Adrian sound like a child … she's frickin 26 years old for Christ's sake"

"Adrian went to Iraq to help defend this country so our daughter could know what it is like to grow up free" Paul remarked.

"We didn't have a daughter 5 years ago Paul"

"Please she needs our help … you remember what a sweet girl Adrian once was with our help she can be like that again"

"You aren't winning this argument"

"When she gets better and I know she will we can hold this over her head for a very long time so we'll always have a baby sitter when we want to go out"

"As tempting as that sounds I still don't like the fact that she will be around Aurora"

"She really won't be around the baby all that much, she'll travel with me and I promise that any contact she has with Aurora will be totally supervised"

"Fine! Paul I give up but I swear if she hurts my baby in any way it will be your ass" Stephanie warned him.

"I promise you won't regret this" Paul smirked a little.

"I already do" she said walking away.


	3. Uncomfortable Reunion

"Ok sweetie Paul is going to meet you in Atlanta" Brooke informed her daughter.

Adrian stared at her but said nothing. She didn't like the idea of staying with Paul. Although she wanted to see her cousin, Adrian felt it should be on her terms and not because her mother felt she couldn't cope anymore. She did feel bad for being so difficult since returning from Iraq she just wasn't ready to share with the world everything she had seen. It amused Adrian that Brooke found it odd she didn't want to speak to her.

"It'll be good for you to stay with Paul" Brooke said in an effort to get some sort of reaction.

Adrian just shook her head and grabbed her luggage and left the room.

"Good talk" Brooke said to no one in particular.

Brooke drove Adrian to the airport and waited with her until she heard the announcement that her plane was now boarding. Brooke hugged her daughter tightly.

"Be safe" she said kissing her daughter's cheek "please let Paul help you"

Adrian walked away, she turned around to get one last look at her mother and waved at her before moving on. The plane ride was an uneventful one, Adrian always tensed up on planes ever since 911 but who could really blame her for that one. She sunk down in her seat and pulled out the ipod her mother purchased for her for Christmas last year. She let the music clear her mind of everything she happened to be thinking about. She managed to get herself to fall asleep which she was somewhat thankful for. For the first time in a while she didn't dream about Iraq instead her dreams were of the memories she had of her childhood. The plane landed and Adrian prepared herself for what she believed to be a very uncomfortable reuniting. Paul was patiently waiting for his younger cousin to depart from the plane. He wasn't sure what to expect when he finally did see her again after 5 years. He looked at his watch once again and sighed, he had an autograph signing in a little while and if he spent anymore time at the airport he might be late. Finally he saw her, she looked a lot older than the last time he had seen her. He could tell just by the way she was walking and the way her facial expression was set that something about what she had experienced had hardened her.

"Adrian over here" he called with a wave.

She rolled her eyes and ventured over to her cousin. Paul smiled at seeing her and gave her a huge hug.

"Look how grown up you look" he remarked after letting her go "you sure aren't a little girl anymore"

_'I'm glad someone finally noticed' _she thought to herself.

"Your mom informed me that you haven't really felt like talking as of late" Paul said ushering her over to the baggage claim.

"That's ok for right now but I will expect you to speak to me eventually so I figured we'd start with something small each day ... like even saying hello"

She rolled her eyes once again. Why did people feel the need to try and force her to talk, she didn't want to talk but no one seemed to take that into consideration.

"Hello Paul" she finally said "happy now"

"See now was that so hard?" he asked.

She glared at him and crossed her arms. She found her luggage and slung her duffel bag over her shoulder. Paul grabbed the rest of the luggage and the twosome prepared to leave.

"So a lot has changed since the last time you came to visit me at work" Paul explained " we have a bunch of new people most of them young guys" he gave her a wink.

She didn't say anything but she was listening intently. Not about the young guys thing but about what was going on in the company Paul worked for, she had always been a big fan of the WWE.

"The Rock and Austin don't wrestle anymore because they are doing the whole acting thing now and kid you won't believe it yours truly was in a movie also" she raised an eyebrow in mild interest "me and Flair had a faction going called Evolution with these two other guys Randy Orton and Dave Batista"

She opened her mouth to ask him a question but Paul could almost read her mind and decided to answer the question before she asked it.

"Yes Randy is the son of Cowboy Bob Orton"

She nodded her head and smirked at the fact that he knew what she was going to ask before she asked it. Paul and Adrian were always very close, more like brother and sister than cousins so more often than not it was almost like they could read eachother's minds.

"After Evolution broke up me and Shawn reunited for a little while but I injured my quad again, I'm not sure if you were around when I injured it the first time but let me tell ya it hurt like a bitch, I'm now the 10 time world heavyweight champion and I believe you already know me and Steph got married and now we have a little girl named Aurora"

"But not everything that has happened has been good you remember Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit right?"

Adrian nodded they had always been among her list of favorites along with The Undertaker, Kane, Stone Cold, and The Rock.

"Well they both passed away" he said sadly.

She gasped as her hand flew up to her mouth in surprise. He hated having to tell her things like this but it was better for her to know now then having to find out later. She pulled out her ipod once again and Paul took that as a signal that she didn't want to hear anymore right now. He accepted it because he figured they had plenty of time to catch up. He knew it wasn't going to be easy to get Adrian to let down the wall she had put around herself but he knew that he wouldn't give up until she did.


	4. An Unexpected Find

While Paul was at his autograph signing Adrian decided to take a leisurely stroll through the city. Her black and pink converse all stars kicked up gravel as she walked. She was wearing a pair of faded and patched American Eagle jeans and a white spaghetti strapped tank top. It was windy out so she wore a red zip up hoodie half way zipped. She was still wearing her ipod headphones in her ears even though it had died 20 minutes before. She kept them in her ears in a weak attempt to make it so people would leave her alone. Munching on chicken fingers and humming to herself she took in the sights around her. As she was walking past an alleyway she heard a gentle cry coming from deep within. Her foolish curiosity getting the best of her she decided to investigate. As Adrian crept closer she could see a small kitten digging through a tipped over metal garbage can. She was mere inches away when it sensed her presence and his behind the garbage can. Adrian crouched down as small as she could.

"Here kitty it's ok I won't hurt you" her voice was soft and soothing.

The cat stuck his scruffy looking head out from behind the garbage can. It sniffed the air but remained where it was.

"Hmm I bet you're hungry and would love one of these delicious chicken fingers" she took one of the chicken fingers out of the container. She placed it on the ground near her and the moment the kitten saw the food the made a b-line to it.

Adrian laughed at the kitten. She took the tine to get a good look at the kitten, it had medium length fur. The poor thing's fur was caked with mud and it was so skinny Adrian could count it's ribs if she cared to. She ran two of her fingers over it's back. The kitten finished eating the chicken finger and walked over to Adrian. It began to sniff her looking for more food. She took out another chicken finger and held it out to the kitten. It ate it right out of her hand because it was that hungry.

"Sorry kitty I'm all out" she said petting the cat once again before standing up.

She began to walk away but soon stopped when she realized the kitten was following her. She took a few more steps and then stopped the kitten was standing next to her. It turned it's head up to look at her, it meowed and nuzzled up against her as it purred.

"Well looks like I made a new friend" she bent down and began to pet the kitten again "how would you like to come with me and we'll get you fed and bathed?"

She smirked to herself knowing of Paul's secret fear of cats. Well if he was making her talk when she didn't want to she wanted something to bug him with. She picked the kitten up and sheltered it inside her sweatshirt. Now the rational part of her mind knew she shouldn't be doing this because this kitten could have any number of diseases among other things. But she really didn't care she thought it was cute in it's own mangy way.

" I wonder if your mother abandoned you like mine did" she said to the kitten as she walked the 3 blocks back to the hotel she and Paul were staying in.

Walking briskly through the lobby she made it into the elevator with no one noticing the kitten's head sticking out of her hoodie. She made it to her room and placed the kitten on the floor of the small kitchen as she ventured to the bathroom to run the tub. She took off her hoodie and tank top and changed into a long sleeved shirt knowing all too well that this kitten wasn't going to make giving it a bath easy on her. When the tub was about a third of the way filled with warm water she placed the kitten in it. It hissed furiously at Adrian and began trying to climb it's way out.

"Come on kitty one bath won't kill you" she said to it as she lathered her hands with the baby shampoo she had picked up at a corner store on the walk back to the hotel. She gently massaged the shampoo into the kitten's fur. It hissed and swiped it's paw at her.

"You are almost done" she told it grabbing the plastic cup she had brought from the kitchen to rinse the kitten off with. She ran the water again to fill the cup with clean water. As gently as she could she poured the warm water over the kitten. She repeated the process two more times. When she was convinced the kitten was clean she removed him from the bathtub and drained the water. The kitten who she found out was a boy looked like a drowned rat. He mowed angrily as she wrapped him in a towel. He was shaking and swishing his tail back and forth.

"Ok you brat you are all done" she laid herself down and placed the kitten next to her.

She turned on the TV and began to towel dry the kitten. Once she was satisfied that he was dry she let him walk around the bed.

"I hope you like tuna kitty because that is what you are eating tonight" she got off the bed and opened the two cans of tuna she had bought when she bought the baby shampoo.

Hearing the can open the kitten tried to jump off the bed but it was too high so he was stuck. Adrian once again laughed at him as she helped him off the bed to the floor. He ran over to the tuna and devoured it as quickly as he could. He licked his lips once he was finished as he walked back over to the bed. He sat down by the side of it and stared by at Adrian he mowed at her and she rolled her eyes.

"So what am I like your slave now" she picked the kitten up. He walked to the middle of the bed and curled up into a ball. He began cleaning himself and eventually fell asleep. Adrian ran a hand over his downy soft fur. He was definitely a cute little kitten. His his body was a charcoal gray color except for his head which was black. He reminded Adrian of a baby penguin. He had white around his eyes and a brown patch over his nose. He had darker gray stripes going down his legs and tail and he had the most amazing green eyes.

"I guess you'll need a name now huh" he opened one eye lazily to look at her. "I think I'll name you Asher John ... Asher after a friend I lost over in Iraq and John just because I like the name. Do you like that AJ?"

Of course he didn't respond back to her and she didn't really expect her to but she thought it was nice to have someone to talk to who didn't expect her to talk about what she had been through or even talk at all.

"I think you and me will be good friends AJ" she remarked scratching behind the kitten's ears. She soon closed her eyes and let jet lag claim her.


End file.
